Regional interest groups WM

Our regional interest groups provide an opportunity for members to share good practice and agree shared approaches and strategies.

Brief descriptions are posted below but if you would like more information about the groups or their activities, please download our latest West Midlands regional interest groups brochure.

Interest groups

Board Members Forum

A new group is being set up to allow board members to share good practice, network and receive updates from the federation and other organisations on the latest changes in the housing sector.
Chair: Mike Ager, Heantun Housing Association

Care and support forum

The group offers specialist providers of housing and support a forum for sharing good practice and raising common issues for discussion and guidance.
Chair: Mick Gallagher, Bromford Group

Central Home Ownership group

The central home ownership group covers both the East and West Midlands and shares good practice and information, covering topical issues and sharing costs for training, leaflets and marketing. The group focuses on benchmarking and acts as a forum for HomeBuy agents.
Chair: Bob Deol, Mercian HA

Midlands Continuous improvement group

Open to chief executives, senior managers and heads of service improvement from both the East and West Midlands, this group shares experience and good practice on organisational change and how to drive improvement in organisations.
Chair: Kathryn Webster, East Midlands Housing Group

Finance group

This group offers finance and resource directors the opportunity to share best practice, keep abreast of current developments, and network with colleagues from other organisations.
Chair: Andy Howarth, Worcester Community Housing

Northern Financial Inclusion Group

The Northern financial inclusion group is aimed at sharing practical advice and ideas regarding financial inclusion issues across the Midlands and North of England.
Chair: please contact Elizabeth Humphreys for details

Employment and Skills Group

We are setting up a new group to share good practice and link into the Federations national work on Employment and Skills in the region. We are hoping to get some tangible out puts for this group such as an apprenticeship pledge which will advertise the work members do on this agenda in the region to MP’s and other stakeholders. If you are interested in the group please email Leah Jackson.

HAMMAR Group

The Housing Asset Management, Maintenance and Repairs group aims to provide an environment within which organisations and individuals can share information and assist in the development of good practice, as well as raising the profile of maintenance and asset management as a specialist but integral function for housing associations.
Chair: Wayne Gethings, Wrekin Housing Trust

Housing services group

This group helps inform the Federation’s regional and national policy and these sessions provide a valuable networking opportunity, enabling its members to share experiences and expertise.
Chair: Jula Brady, St Basils

HR Forum

This group is well established and meets quarterly to share best practice and expertise with other HR professionals in the sector. Meetings include lively debate around topics of interest to the group as well as updates from Federation staff.
Chair: Helen Watkins, Housing Plus

Investment Group

The Investment group is a meeting of the HCA's West Midlands key development partners and promotes affordable housing development in the West Midlands.
Chair: Alan Yates, Accord Group

Midland network for resident involvement

The MNRI group has more than 60 member organisations represented, this group shares best ractice and also resources, getting better value for money and encouraging partnership working. The group also delivers joint events and has recently launched a joint Training Academy.
Chair: Chris Pinson-Bradley, Heantun Housing

PR and communications group

The West Midlands communications network provides an opportunity to share expertise and good practice with colleagues from across the region and helps its members to meet their training and support needs, join forces for specific projects and campaigns, and participate in National Housing Federation media campaigns.
Chair: Sarah Clee, Midland Heart

Rural Development Group

This group is a new group formed to lobby on rural housing issues and to work with partners to encourage investment and support for rural housing across the West Midlands. It will hold quarterly meetings and wherever possible the group will work in partnership with the East Midlands rural development group.
Chair: Paul Sutton, Shropshire Housing Group

Smaller housing association group

The new West Midlands smaller housing association group shares good practice and improves opportunities for networking among small housing associations in the region.
Contact: Jill Davies, Redditch Friends Housing

Social enterprise group

The National Housing Federation and Social Enterprise West Midlands (SEWM) jointly hold a quarterly forum for members involved in or want to find out more about social enterprise.

Each meeting is held at a social enterprise or a member association which has a social enterprise to find out more about what members of the group are doing within their own organisations to help and advice others.

Topics have included training and social enterprise, procurement and getting your organisation on board with social enterprise.

For more information about this forum please contact Amy Beddis.
Chair: Steve Woods, Adullam Homes Housing Association